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Purely Commentary Sandmel Essays Define Two Living Traditions,'

By Philip Slomovitz

Luther's Anti-Semitic Role in Church
History . .. the Reuchlin-Pfefferkorn Episode

Elaborate on Christian and Jewish Theologies

In the 25 essays included in this
should therefore do nothing."'
Because he deals with Judaism !
He adds: "We Jews formulate volume. the reader will be guided
and Christianity, as the title of
Martin -Luther's confrontation was with Pope Leo X. It V. as in
his new hook published by Wayne .
our obligations in somewhat the toward a better understanding of
1517 when his 95 theses were tacked to the door of the Wittenberg
following way, that we pray for the Gospels, the Jewish aspects
State University Press—"Two Liv-
church.
Dr.
indicates.
God's guidance to help us in of Christian teachings, the Chris-
ing Traditions•'
Luther's anti-Semitism is noted in the account of that conflict
what we endeavor to do. Man tian-Jewish relationships. Dr. Sand-
Samuel Sandmel, Hebrew Union
told by Charles L. Mee Jr in - White Robe. Black Robe." the story
must always endeavor: an ti,n. met Has produced another most
College Distinguished Service Pro -
of Leo X, Luther and The Birth of the Reformation," published by
cient rabbi formulated matters impressive task by combining, into
lessor, provides a wealth of mate-
Putnam.
this way. 'It is not incumbdnt one volume a large portion of hi ,
rial for elaboration on many
The vileness of Luther's hatred for Jews is not fully told here.
on you to finish the task, 4ut major writings and lectures.
themes in the two faiths.
but the author does state: "Luther raged against displays of license,
you are not free to withdrkw
His volume is a collection of
against those who deviated from his own teachings about Scripture,
More New BSC Books
yourself from it.' "
essays on religion and the Bible,
against peasants, and ferociously, against Jews.•'
WSU
Press hooks
Additional
Theological evasions are
and the variety of the subjects
What Mee does, however, is go extensively into the scholarly role
embraces theology, social issues, plored and exposed in this impr s- just issued include the following:
of Johann Reuchlin, the Christian Hebraist, and the controversy with
Beongcheon Vu, professor of
history, ethical codes, myths, lin- sue collection of essays and Ike-
the Jewish convert to Catholicism, Johann Pfefferkorn."
tures which have appeared in vaid- English at Wayne State University,
guistics.
Reuchlin preferred to be known as a philologist rather than a
ous scholarly magazines
magazines or were ' is
is the author of "Akutagawa—An
theologian. He corrected errors in Christian translations of Scriptures.
His emphasis is on good scholar-
de livered to important gatherings. Introduction." in which the life
Author of a Hebrew grammar and lexicon. he sought to live a quiet
ship. Haying written extensively
Problems
of
theology
for
Jeics
and
works of the Japanese writer
life without getting into religious disputes. But. as Mee relates the
on Paul and Paulism, he has
drawn from many of his writings and their relationships with Chnis- ! arc thoroughly analyzed.
historic incident, he was led into controversy with the Jewish convert
A handbook by WSU professor
on this subject. Ile deals with bans, the various concepts of Bible
Pfefferkorn who "was determined to extirpate Judaism." book
studies, the Gospels and their ap- ' Bernard Goldman, "Reading and
"Judenspiegel" recommended that Jews be brought into the Catholic
Pharisees and Phariseeism. He
fold by prohibiting them from practicing usury, burning all their touches upon the deicide charges proaches to the Jews in the eally Writing in the Arts," in which
days of Christianity—the subjetts references are made to Jewish art
Hebrew books. and forcing them to listen to sermons." He sought allies
•
covered here are numerous a d works,
among the Dominicans and won the approval of Emperor ,Nlaximillian
touch upon every conceivable then-
who "listened to PfefferkorMs scheme and —absent-minded. One sup-
An illustrated handbook, "The
.logical problem of concern flnr
poses-- issued an order to have all Jews deliver their books to Pfeffer-
Detroit Institute of Arts." pub-
Jews
and
Christians
korn, who would decide which of them ought to be suppressed."
I
lished for the Art Institute by
There were objections and Reuchlin it was the year 1515—and
%%SU Press. The editors of this
Among the major Jewish histoid-
he was 601 was among those chosen - to decide which Hebrew books
V
impressive catalogued work are
cal experiences touched upon
should be destroyed."
Frederick J. Cummings and
or Sandmel is an imaginary d a-
The Mee account is a most interesting review of a theological
Charles IL Elam.
logue on "Philo and His Pupil
dispute involving Reuchlin and his opponents, with the Jews as targets
A philosophical study. - Ilistor ■
An additional essay related to
Mee stated in his resume of this controversy.
that period is "The Confront:di:in as Applied Science. - by Prof
"There were two Jewish books that attacked Christianity.
of Greek and Jewish Ethics:
William Todd. who proposes a new
Reuchlin wrote in calm, dispassionate judgment on the case. They
Ue Decalogo."
framework for historiography.
were the Nizachon and the Toldoth Jeschu (both of which. though
Reuchlin somehow neglected to mention it, had already been dis-
owned by the Jews). Of the others, while none were Christian
texts, they could not be said to have been written as attacks on
Christianity. Reuchlin then considered the Talmud, the Cabala, and
other Hebrew texts, noting their contents and reaching the technical
conclusion that none of these texts could hase been written against
Problems that "span our nation"
DR. SAMUEL SAND31E1.
Christianity. Indeed, Reuchlin oberved, many of these works were
and create great anxiety are
and traces the wrongs implii•it in tackled by U.S. Senator Abraham
useful to Christians in the study of theology and, further, provided
them.
arguments that could he used to convert the Jews. In any case.
Ribicoff in a volume in which be
Reuchlin said since the -hooks had not been repressed in 14
"It is not my obligation," he presents his views candidly ar
centuries, what was the use of burning them now". The conversion of
forcibly.
He View's them with a
states. "to the Pharisees to
the Jews would best be accomplished by maintaining a cordial rela-
sense of optimism that "we Will
guard
their
reputation
from
the
tionship with them and showing by the Christian example the truth
generate the national will fleets.
assessment of them in some sari to move ahead." as the tiflc
of Christianity. In order that men might better know how to engage
in friendly discourse with the Jews, Reuchlin suggested disin-
lamentable Christian scholar- i.f his book, "America Can Make
genuously that the emperor ought to set up two chairs of Hebrew
It indicates.
ship; my obligation is to the
studies at all of the German universities, where young men would
truth and to sound scholarship,
In this volume, published by
then learn wherein the Jews erred and how they might be corrected.
not to the Pharisees. I must Atheneum, the Connecticut sena-
"Reuchlin was alone in his opinion on the matter and, although
tor
is most critical of President
privileged
letter
solely
for
the
a
he had thought he was writing
not distort Pharisaism affirma-
Nixon and his administration. .)n
emperor's eyes, Pfefferkorn got hold of it and published a hook
tively simply because sonic
the question of school integratilin,
attacking Reuchlin as a man who hat probably been bribed by the
Christian scholars distort it he charges that "the President is
Jews to write such an opinion. Reuchlin did not understand the
now leading the way toward' to al
negatively."
Talmud, Pfefferkorn said, and his books on Hebrew subjects had
apartheid in this country."
probably been written by someone else, since Reuchlin was too
On his treatment of the subject
SEN. ABRAHAM RIBICOFF
ignorant to base written them himself. At that the calm old scholar
relating to Jesus, Dr. Sandmel
Senator Ribicoff takes into ac-
erupted. In a book called 'Augenspiegel• he printed the full text
states at the outset in his intro-
count some of the old policiOs
of his advice to the emperor, with explanations of some of the
ductory essay:
held responsible for the bask-
passages, and then proceeded to point out 34 mistakes Pfefferkorn
"As to the figure of Jesus. about
had made in Hebrew. The famous 'Rattle of the Books' was on.
ing problems and declares that
whom in the past 150 years Jews
"Now that Reuchlin had committed himself to a position in print.
they must be junked. He pr
in abundance have written volum-
Lynn Z. Bloom, a University of
the theologians were able to move in on him. The good doctors at
poses some solutions, such as
inously. there is this ore comment
Michigan honor graduate, taught
,the University of Koln parsed his text and sent him a number of
federal law — and moderati:.-
I select here out of touch more
at Case Western Reserve ITniver-
propositions that they insisted he either explain or withdraw. Reuchlin
that could he said It is to invite
income suburban facilities, and
sity and there she first met Dr
responded with an appeal to public opinion by publishing a German
attention to a strange variation
Benjamin Spock. The result of a
translation of his book, and with that the controversy became the
he reviews the experiences Of
in
the
writings
by
Jewish
scholars_
friendship is a full-length bin
topic of the day. Ortwin Gratius published an attack on Reuchlin.
sonic cities with an indication
graphical work, "Doctor Spock. -
One might lead into this by noting
Reuchlin wrote a 'defense' to the emperor. The University of Paris,
that bridges can be built over the
published by Bobbs-Merrill Co.
that East European Jewish laymen
then the center of theological learning, condemned Reuchlin's book.
walls that separate some Amer-
In it, the famed personality is
have ordinarily assumed that Jesus
Liberal humanists throughout Europe--caring nothing for the Jews,
icans in facing the issues affect-
depicted as a "conspirator for
was 'theirs' not 'ours: while in
but seeing the controversy as one threatening freedom of inquiry—
ing these problems.
peace" and as a "conservative
the United States a growing num-
pronounced themselves in favor of Reuchlin. The Inquisitor-General
ber of laymen seem to regard
Ilochstraten summoned Reuchlin to appear before him. Reuchlin
He sees the beginning of pr p- radical."
Mrs. Bloom gives a full account
appealed to the pope, and Leo requested the advice of the bishops
him as 'ours,' not 'theirs: The
ress in the fact that "students are
of Worms and Speyer, who debated the issues while the theologians
variation which I have in mind is floss- on university boards of tr as- of Dr. Spock's political activities.
his defense of dissenters. his own
of Koln burned copies of the 'Augenspieger.
found among Jewish scholars, too,
tees; minority groups, women and
trial.
In the controversy that developed. there were Retichlinites and
and if scholars have not made Young people will be substantia ly
She makes reference to his can-
"Es
entually
Leo
would
decide
Jesus fully 'ours: by comparison represented at the 1972 Democratic
antilleuchlinites and, to quote Mee,
didacy for President on the "Peo-
against Reuchlin, but until 1520. when more 'squabbles' in Germany
with the way in which I'aul is
convention; Blacks are making
ple's Party" ticket and she de-
seemed to call for a firm hand. By then it was too late . . . Whatever
invariably 'theirs: Jesus is by con- sonic economic progress and ap-
the Irberal men of the church might think, it was essential to
trast very often 'ours.'
pear on television show - s, in na- clares: .
"The value of minority parties
the Deminican Inquisition from embarrassment. It was unthinka ble for
An important chapter related to tional advertising and in some of
the Pope to fail to hack up his employes. And yet, amazingly.
the most traditional law firnis; often lies not in the votes they re-
the Jesus theme is "Jesus in World
ceive
in any given election, but
Reuchlin emerged sictorious, at least temporarily. In July. 1516 a
History." Stating that he is pro- women are being taken serioubly
in the fact that they generate and
commission of 18 conveyed their judgment to the Pope: Reuchlin's
as individuals for perhaps the fist
foundly disturbed by the Vietnam
publicize controversial or innova-
'Augenspiegel' was free of heresy. Only one dissenting sole was
situation. by the impasse between time.'• . etc.
tive ideas which may later become
recorded in the verdict. that of Sylvester Prierias, master of the
Arabs and Israel, Dr. Sandmel de-
-
political
orthodoxy. Thus for the
Qualities
that
unite
us:'
he
papal palace, who several years later was to he the man who framed
plores the nations of the world
the indictment against Luther. True to his nature. Leo procrastinated_ behaving as though Jesus never asserts. "are more important than People's Party, typical of every
those that divide us. - His appeal party, hope of influence if not of
•Ile neither endorsed the findings of his commission nor set their
existed and never lived an ex-
is for "freedom from discrimina- victory sprang eternal."
aside. Instead, he ordered that no more action be taken in the case.
emplary life, and never taught_
It is in her outline of political
tion" and "the opportunity to reach
By doing nothing. he gave the victory to Reuchlin, an-1 an inspiring
"They have acted as if he was of
the upper limit of our abilitieic" attitudes, the struggles in which
victory it was
no guidance and no concern."
lie shows confidence that "a conn- the hero of her work became fa-
This is one of the interesting episodes in a drama in which Mei-
At this point he states that try with our basic philosophy. great mous. the country's needs and the
delineates Luther the revolutionary battling the establishment of Leo.
"humanism that is Jewish comes resources and varied experience trends of the time that Mrs. Lynn
As biography and history. the Mee volume is of immense interest, and
back," that he cannot subscribe should be able to meet these is as effective as in her biographi-
the Reuchlin•Pfefferkorn story adds special interest to our readers
"to the supposition that man can aspirations" and that "Amer ca cal writing. She has written a most
accomplish nothing and that man can make it
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
impressive work
2—Friday, June 2, 1972

'Qualities That Unite the U. S.'
Viewed Positively by Ribicoff

Spock Biography:
Peace Conspirator